Four American bread recipes that are among the most inventive and irresistible

Outlook News - Sunday December 23, 2007

THE PLEASURE OF EATING

A HAPPY 'BAKING' CHRISTMAS

Four American bread recipes that are among the most inventive and irresistible

PRISNA BOONSINSUKH

Proverbs that ring to the tune of "rewards for good deeds, punishment for bad deeds" must be one of the most common in all the languages and cultures of the world. Most people everywhere grow up believing the truth of the adage. But read enough newspaper reports in Thailand, and your faith must begin to wobble a bit.

That's why it's such an antidote to read elsewhere of politicians and billionaires being caught breaking the law and actually sent to jail. A recent issue of The New Yorker magazine almost jocularly related the plight of a clutch of representatives and senators living away from home in their yachts docked at a yacht club in Washington, DC. Maybe the yacht is a symbol of greed and overreaching. One representative went to prison for accepting gifts from a lobbyist, a California congressman was serving a prison sentence for accepting millions of dollars in bribes, including the very yacht he was living on, a highly respected senator from Alaska had his house in Anchorage raided by the FBI investigating whether he took illegal gifts from an oil-field-services company. That, to me, is the real majesty of the law.

Mind you, I'm not so naive as to think that these heavyweight people will be treated harshly in jail. The rich and the influential would have their privileges. And even the most vicious criminals are not made to live on bread and water any more. Nor does a jail sentence necessarily put a stop to their political or business career. Look at how Martha Stewart thrives after paying her debt to society. A lot of my students are devotees of Stewart's cooking programme. The fact that she had spent time in jail does not dampen their enthusiasm one bit. White-collar crime could even be seen as glamorous. In today's society, you just have to brazen it out, and all will be well.

Let's get back to bread and water, long accepted as a punishment or hardship ration. The bread in that sense is, of course, the meanest mixture of flour and water, often mouldy, and not the wonderful bread we imagine when Omar Khayyam says, "a jug of wine, a loaf of bread, and thou". Still, I maintain that in the right circumstances, bread and water can be heavenly. Today's column is about providing you with that heavenly potential by baking the most irresistible breads - four of them, to be exact. That all four are American breads is not entirely surprising. I've found that American bread recipes are among the most inventive. Take this bacon bread. This is not just crisp bacon being kneaded into bread dough as you would expect from the unassuming name, but a bread so elaborate, it's halfway to a multi-layered pie. The bread dough is made first, and when well risen, is pressed into a 9x13-inch (23x33cm) baking tray to form a case, into which the crisp bacon is scattered, followed by a topping mixture of semolina, milk and egg. Baking and eating this bread is certainly a rewarding experience.

The tomato whole wheat bread disproves my own prejudice that anything "healthy" cannot also taste good. With whole wheat flour, fresh tomatoes, honey and fresh herbs as ingredients, this bread could almost be beatified for its goodness, but they also combine to give wonderful flavour. Have a loaf handy, and you have the perfect base for open-face sandwiches, and cheese on toast. The golden raisin bread is unusual in that it is actually a mildly savoury bread despite the sweet raisins. The whole wheat flour gives its texture a robustness that contrasts with the usually more delicate sweet breads, and the fennel seeds add a subtle hint of liquorice. This is a raisin bread that tastes great with pasta and hearty stew like goulash.

The last of my American bread selections today is monkey bread. The concept is similar to any pull-apart bread, except that monkey, or bubble, bread is made in a tube pan. The bread dough is made normally until it has achieved its double-in-bulk rising. It is then formed into little balls. Each ball is dipped in melted butter, rolled in a nut and sugar mixture, piled into the pan and the whole drenched in rum and brandy-sopped sultanas. When baked, the sugar melts and binds them together into a beautiful loaf that easily comes apart when pulled. And there, I wouldn't mind having monkey bread with water for a meal. Each ball is encrusted with fruit and nuts outside, and soft and sweet inside. This is such an American favourite that Nancy Reagan served it in the White House all the time, especially during the holidays. This recipe might be just in time for you, too, to say "Happy Christmas" with a clutch of monkey bread.

Bacon bread

To make 1 large pan of bread

Ingredients:

- Starter

125ml water

1/2 tsp instant yeast

150g all-purpose flour

- Dough

All of the starter

250ml water

11/2 tsp instant yeast

375g all-purpose flour

11/2 tsp salt

30g unsalted butter, softened

35g instant mashed potato flakes

- Topping

115g semolina

750ml milk

50g unsalted butter

1 tsp salt

3 eggs, separated

450g bacon, cooked, drained and diced

30g fresh breadcrumbs

1/2 cup chopped chives or sliced spring onions

Preparation:

1. For the starter: Combine the water, yeast and flour in a small bowl; cover and let sit at room temperature for at least four hours and as long as overnight.

2. For the dough: Combine the starter with the water, yeast and one cup of the flour. Whisk the potato flakes with 1/2 cup of the flour and add to the dough. Mix the dough until it comes together; add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough comes together and is smooth, but still quite soft. Knead the dough for six to eight minutes, until it becomes springy. Place in a greased bowl and cover, and set it aside to rise until doubled.

3. After the dough has doubled, deflate it and spread it out in a greased 9x13-inch (23x33cm) pan, pushing the dough 11/2-inch (4cm) up the sides. Cover the pan and set the dough aside to rise while you prepare the topping.

4. Preheat the oven to 180C/fan 160C. The topping: Place the semolina, milk, butter and salt in a saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and bubbles. Remove from the heat and cool to lukewarm. Stir the egg yolks into the mixture. Whip the egg whites to stiff peaks, then fold into the mixture.

5. To assemble: Sprinkle the cooked bacon, breadcrumbs and chives over the dough. Spread the semolina filling over the bacon and smooth out. Bake the bread for 45 minutes, until the top is golden brown. The bread can be flipped out of its pan after cooling for 20 minutes and then back on to a serving platter to slice.

Tomato whole wheat bread

To make 2 loaves

Ingredients:

600g ripe tomatoes

125ml water

2 Tbsp honey

1/8 tsp ground ginger

1 Tbsp basil, chopped

1 tsp salt

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

300g all-purpose flour

300g whole wheat flour

4 1/2 tsp instant yeast

Preparation:

1. Core and seed the tomatoes. Pure'e in a blender with the water. You should have two cups of pure'e. Add honey, ginger, basil, salt and oil to the blender container, and give a quick pulse to mix everything.

2. Combine the flours in a large bowl. Mix the yeast with the flour and then add the pure'e. Mix until combined. Knead for 10 minutes, adding more flour as needed, to make a soft, somewhat sticky dough. Transfer to a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled.

3. Deflate the dough and divide it in half. Form each half into a round ball. Place on a parchment-covered baking sheet and cover the dough with lightly greased plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled. Preheat the oven to 160C/fan 140C. Bake until golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped underneath, about 40 to 50 minutes.

Golden raisin bread

To make 2 loaves

Ingredients:

- Starter

100g whole wheat flour

125ml cool water

Pinch of instant yeast

- Dough

All of the starter

125ml lukewarm water

60ml orange juice

3 Tbsp olive oil

50g whole wheat flour

60g semolina or cornmeal

110g all-purpose flour

25g wheat germ

20g oat bran

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp fennel seeds

2 tsp instant yeast

300g golden raisins

Preparation:

1. Mix the starter ingredients in a small bowl, cover and let rest overnight at room temperature.

2. Dough: Combine the starter and all of the ingredients except the raisins, and mix and knead them until you have a smooth, elastic dough. Allow the dough to rise, covered, until it's puffy and nearly doubled in bulk. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Deflate the dough and knead the raisins into it. Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a ball. Place them on the prepared baking sheet, leaving several inches between them. Cover with lightly greased plastic wrap and allow the loaves to rise until they're very puffy. While the bread is rising, preheat the oven to 180C/fan 160C. Bake the breads for 40 to 45 minutes, tenting them lightly with foil after 15 minutes to preserve the light gold colour. Cool the loaves before slicing.

Monkey bread

To make 1 loaf

Ingredients:

10g instant yeast

450g bread flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp sugar

120ml lukewarm milk

120ml lukewarm water

1 egg, lightly beaten

- For the coating

75g golden raisins

45ml rum or brandy

115g walnuts, finely chopped

2 tsp ground cinnamon

115g brown sugar

50g unsalted butter, melted

Preparation:

1. Lightly grease a nine-inch (23cm) springform ring cake tin. Mix the yeast, flour, salt and sugar together in a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the milk, water and egg to the well and mix together to a soft dough. Turn out on a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and leave to rise until doubled.

2. Place the golden raisins in a small saucepan, pour over the rum or brandy and heat for one to two minutes, or until warm. Remove from the heat and set aside. Mix the walnuts, cinnamon and sugar in a bowl.

3. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently. Divide into 30 equal pieces and shape into small balls. Dip the balls, one at a time, into the melted butter, then roll them in the walnut mixture. Place half in the prepared tin, spaced slightly apart. Sprinkle over all the soaked golden raisins. Top with the remaining dough balls, dipping and coating as before. Sprinkle over any remaining walnut mixture and melted butter. Cover with a lightly oiled plastic wrap and leave to rise until the dough reaches the top of the tin.

4. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 190C/fan 170C. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until well risen and golden. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

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